


Bright Like A Diamond

by FunkyinFishnet



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Thieves, Crossdressing, Genderqueer Character, Male Slash, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-13 00:17:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4500420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunkyinFishnet/pseuds/FunkyinFishnet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seth Rollins is a thief who meets Dean Ambrose stealing the jewelery that Seth was about to steal himself. Then they both meet Roman Reigns and something entirely different is born.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bright Like A Diamond

**Author's Note:**

> Title is a lyric from the song 'Diamonds' by Rhianna.

 

 

 

The room was supposed to be empty. That was what Seth had been assured. Now, after stealthily working his way past the Ferrier Building's complex high security, he was in the safe room that held the Empress Elizabetta's diamond stars and he was not fucking alone. A figure was crouched by one of the safes, already holding a telltale drawstring bag. Seth glared; this guy was no employee and Seth was not used to being beaten on a job.

 

The guy grinned, “Sorry, they're all out.”

 

In the dim light, Seth could glimpse a sharp-eyed face that sort of appealed and was actually checking him out. Well Seth was wearing one of his better filled bras, giving his chest the curvature he liked best and for a bonus, if he got his angles right and Jimmy looped the security footage in the right way, it'd fool the cops when they started looking for whoever had taken the stars because Seth had dressed very differently while scoping out this city. It was a look he'd take on again once he was done here. The stranger let out a low noise of appreciation. So far, so good.

 

“So another victim of the market crash or is De Beers all out?” the stranger intoned, mockingly amused and what he had to think was flirtation.

 

Seth snorted; whoever this was, they clearly had no clue who or what they were dealing with. Jimmy was going to love this, as long as Seth got the stars. Seth smoothed his expression into a challenging flirtatious smile. The guy he was faced with looked relaxed, even casual, but Seth could read the guy's body language as he pushed himself up to his feet, Seth could make out toned muscle even under the stranger's leather jacket. And there was the way the guy's eyes darted about so quickly and how he was almost constantly moving, twitching even.

 

Who the fuck was this?

 

Seth stepped closer, the guy's eyes darkened and his grin became even more wicked. He looked Seth up and down, like a slow burn. There was no disguising the lust in his expression, even as Seth was now close and lit up enough to reveal the details of his entire appearance. That kind of genuine appreciation was rare. Seth felt something hot flicker through him strongly but then the stranger suddenly threw himself backwards, colliding with a window which obligingly swung open and no alarms went off, like he'd _planned_ such an abrupt apparently-spontaneous exit. Seth's heart jumped painfully, what the fuck had just happened? But when he looked through the open window, he saw a balcony a couple of floors below and no sign of the mysterious and fucking insane stranger, who'd gotten away with the stars.

 

*

 

Of course Jimmy was laughing by the time Seth got through to him.

 

“You couldn't have warned me? Or was he invisible the whole fucking time?”

 

Jimmy sounded really entertained, “You and Ambrose, man. I don't know why I didn't think of it before.”

 

Seth closed his eyes for a moment. Of course Jimmy knew the guy. “Ambrose?”

 

“Dean. He does a lot of East Coast work, usually tears shit up. He got that Monet out of Dubai last year.”

 

And, if Seth remembered correctly, Dean had also smashed a ton of windows on his way out. Seth had a sudden image of Dean, in ripped-up jeans and leather, surrounded by broken glass. Seth's heart sped up way too much at that image. He shook his head and hopped onto a bus. He'd be back in his motel room soon, then he could pack up before heading out of the city. He needed to get those stars and he had a feeling that Dean Ambrose wasn't going to let them go without a fight.

 

Seth was not excited about that. At all.

 

Jimmy chuckled in his ear like he knew exactly what Seth was thinking. Fucker. Seth hung up on him.

 

*

 

By the time he got three states over and home, Jimmy had filled up his inbox with Dean information – he was a known associate of Solomon Crowe who did the kind of high level hacking that Jimmy spent a lot of time rhapsodizing

about. As Seth had already recalled, Dean usually took crazy risks, achieved the unexpected and left destruction in his wake, not caring about clean up or hiding who had committed the crime. He was clearly about the thrill as well as the money, doing things that nobody else had done before.

 

Seth could understand that. But clearly, this guy was a wacko.

 

Jimmy laughed at him via Skype. His fingernails were painted purple and displayed gemstones which flashed as he typed. He wasn't wearing a shirt and was holding a lit joint between his fingers and lips as he worked.

 

“Gabe's still waiting for those stars, Seth.”

 

“I _know_.”

 

Seth sighed with frustration and watered his plants, his cactus collection was looking lush. A couple were due to start flowering soon. He concentrated on them for a few precious moments.

 

“Hey.”

 

Jimmy was looking right at him, wreathed in smoke. His eyes were smudged with eyeliner and there was a couple of shimmering butterflies clipped into his hair like they'd decided to nest there all on their own. It was a look that only Jimmy could pull off. And of course he looked good, Jimmy always looked good. He also looked completely confident.

 

“Dean wants to see you again so you'll get the stars.”

 

Seth put down his watering can and stared at his best friend, unimpressed and his heart way too excited. “You've talked to him.”

 

Jimmy beamed, “I talked to Solomon. He says hi and that you must be the fucking gorgeous bastard that Dean hasn't stopped muttering about since he grabbed the stars.”

 

Dean thought he was gorgeous. Seth glanced at his own reflection; he loved how his chest looked, his bras were miracle workers and he loved them. Dean had gotten to see that and liked it.

 

“So Solomon told me what Dean's next job is looking to be – there's some seriously old blueprints of Vienna's manmade landscape currently on show at the Fuller Library in your fair city. Dean usually scouts for a couple of days first.”

 

Those kind of blueprints were a niche market. It was understandable that Dean would be looking to fence something less showy and obvious after snatching the stars. Okay then. Seth was going to find him and get what was his. Seth had a client waiting.

 

“The Samoans are in town,” Jimmy warned him. “So a weather eye out, okay?”

 

Seth nodded. The Samoans were one of the biggest organizations in the game, tied together by a complex network of blood and marriage. If they wanted something it wasn't ever wise to stand in their way. Once someone angered the Samoans, it was rare they got any serious jobs ever again.

 

Jimmy pressed a kiss to his fingers and then to his webcam, “Have fun out there.”

 

Seth rested a hand on his webcam in return and ended the call, already planning his outfit and strategy. He had an idea but he wanted to cover all options. He wanted to completely bamboozle Dean. Oh yes.

 

*

 

The Fuller Library was part of a series of buildings that included museums and art galleries and a public garden set out in front. Seth bundled his hair back into a slipknot bun, donned jeans and a dark button-down, and sat on one of the artistically-sculpted benches in the garden, a well-stuffed bag at his feet. He'd been in the area for hours already and Dean hadn't made his move yet. Seth adjusted his square-framed glasses and smiled to himself; they weren't actually a disguise, he wore contacts on night jobs. He had also by now grown his favorite kind of stubbly beard and sideburns. He'd started noting down ideas and sketches for upcoming jobs, he was confident and ready thanks to the time he'd already spent in the Fuller Library. Why was his stomach swooping so hard at the thought of Dean no-showing?

 

The sun was bright at least and Seth sketched and jotted, absorbed in his work but keeping an eye out for any sign of Dean. It turned out, he didn't have to leave disappointed. A few more hours in, there was a clatter and a rumble and a hot-dog cart was wheeled into the garden. Passers-by soon began lining up to buy. Seth glanced over and almost did a double-take – with an apron tied around his waist and a sharp grin was Dean, serving up hot-dogs amongst the steam. He wasn't wearing a jacket this time so Seth got a proper view of Dean's broad shoulders, the brightness of his eyes and how easily he juggled change and conversation with people, chewing gum furiously between words.

 

When their eyes met, Dean looked Seth rapidly up and down and smirked. Seth's brow puckered though a familiar heat seared through him at the touch of that gaze. There was something about the loopy way Dean moved, a way that should have looked completely affected but just looked loose and genuine instead, and how his eyes were unabashed and wanting when he gazed at Seth. This was a man who clearly didn't have many hang-ups when it came to what he wanted.

 

The hot-dog cart trundled a little closer. Seth didn't get up to buy a hot-dog, it didn't matter how hungry he was. He kept making notes, even if his attention frequently strayed towards Dean and his cart. He fiddled with his phone and snapped a surreptitious photo to send Jimmy. Okay, Seth was intrigued, he could admit that much. Dean was a successful thief, a very successful one according to Jimmy's information, but he went about his work in a way that was completely alien to Seth. Dean was unlike anybody he'd ever met before.

 

When Dean eventually emerged from behind the cart, Seth could barely suppress a snort. Dean had something like a gun belt fastened around his waist, one holster held a bottle of ketchup, the other mustard. God, who was this guy? Seth shook his head in disbelief but couldn't stop smiling.

 

A hot-dog was thrust under his nose. Seth didn't even jump, he arched an eyebrow though, “Is it kosher?”

 

Dean sat down emphatically next to him, “Nope.”

 

He didn't take the hot-dog away, just stared a challenge at Seth, because he apparently knew that Seth didn't care if lunch was kosher or not. Dean's smirk ratcheted up a bit when Seth's stomach growled. Okay, fine, he was hungry. Seth took the hot-dog and without asking, deftly slid the mustard bottle out of Dean's holster. It was the closest contact there'd been between them so far and Seth was sure that he saw Dean's pupils dilate. Dean's hip definitely nudged upward in response.

 

Seth ate the hot-dog quickly. He was there on business, if he admired the scenery too then that was fine. He'd done that before. But he couldn't remember the last time someone had admired him back, both versions of him, so blatantly.

 

“So,” Seth finished his lunch and decided to change the subject since Dean didn't look like he was going to say anything and they couldn't actually sit there all day admiring each other. “You're going to give me those stars.”

 

“Ha.” Dean slapped a hand to his own thigh. “My client's taking delivery.”

 

Of course they were. Dean was so pleased with himself. Seth shook his head; how had his guy not gotten caught? Why did anyone ever hire him? Why did Seth find him so interesting?

 

Seth abruptly got to his feet, hefted his bag and walked towards the library without another word. Maybe being a little unpredictable would actually get through to Dean. Sure enough Seth heard hurried footsteps behind him. He smirked to himself and entered the library.

 

“So what's the plan. You look like a planner.”

 

Seth shrugged a shoulder and headed for the Umber Gallery, the display room that he knew, from his research and from recent experience, was currently housing the Vienna blueprints. This was going to be so sweet. Dean immediately loped around in front of him, he was still wearing his apron and condiments holster. His eyes were flinty now even if he was still smiling and he was absolutely ready to fight. Heat stirred in Seth again, of course it did.

 

“Get your own plan, pretty boy.”

 

“I did, you stole it!”

 

Dean smirked and slunk against the Umber Gallery doorway, looking unfairly sexy despite his ridiculous outfit. Seth shook his head. Dean had no clue what was really going on here.

 

“Give me the stars, Dean.”

 

“Leave the blueprints alone, Seth.”

 

It was Seth's turn to smirk and shed all pretense. This was his moment of victory. “Too late.”

 

Dean's eyes widened and he whirled to check the glass display case inside the gallery. There was a beautiful set of blueprints on display there. Dean turned sharply back towards Seth who raised his eyebrows in very smug challenge. There was a sudden footstep behind them and they both turned, coiled and ready, even though neither of them were doing anything close to illegal – they were just arguing in a library, that was all.

 

But it wasn't a library assistant or security guard, come to ask them to keep the noise down, instead it was one of the most gorgeous men Seth had ever seen. He heard the air sharply leave Dean's lungs as though in agreement. Yeah. The stranger was pretty much unbelievable to look at - he was cut with tattoos on his arms, the sort of face people painted as a fantasy and clear beautiful eyes that were currently looking at Seth and Dean with faint amusement. When he moved, he was like a big cat and seemed to exude heat and power. Seth could feel his body responding.

 

The stranger inclined his head towards the display case, “Jacobs still does the best work.”

 

Right, he knew Jimmy. Seth nodded slightly, “His ego doesn't need the lift but I'll tell him.”

 

The stranger chuckled, his gaze raking over them both as he brushed past them into the room. He smelled of classy aftershave and hair oil. Well, his hair was like something off of a trashy softcore book cover, the kind that Jimmy loved. He always claimed that Seth was missing out, maybe he was.

 

“How are you real?” demanded Dean, his eyes creasing up at the corners, their sheen locked onto the mysterious stranger.

 

Seth thought that maybe he could hear Dean's heartbeat but then realized it was his own. And absurdly, he wanted to grasp onto Dean's apron, maybe to anchor them both. The stranger still looked amused and then there were more footsteps and the familiar gait of a security guard, probably come to check on the display cases. Maybe Seth and Dean had been overheard.

 

Seth took a last drinking look at the stranger and got one in return like a promise he could feel all the way down to his toes. A moment later, he quickly walked away from it all. Dean was right behind him, Seth felt relieved and warm and what were they doing to him?

 

Outside the library, under the sunny sky, Seth paused, feeling short of breath. Had that guy actually existed? From Dean's expression he did. Wow. Dean shook his head and let out an incredulous laugh.

 

“Fucking hell.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“You're still not getting the stars.”

 

“You're not getting the blueprints.”

 

Dean looked like he was about to start a really interesting argument but spotted a couple of cops lingering near his abandoned hot-dog cart. He cursed under his breath and looked searingly at Seth, Seth was probably wearing a similar expression. Dean's hand clamped to Seth's shoulder and squeezed.

 

“We're not done.”

 

Then he took off for his cart, apparently expecting Seth to take put. Not with those hot-dog cart cops so close by. Seth was smarter than that and walked away like he was just enjoying the scenery. His heart was still thumping hard. When he glanced around, he thought he saw the handsome stranger emerging from the library, looking over toward Dean. Seth felt warm all over again.

 

But when he got back home, he found that the blueprints somehow weren't still in his bag. Someone had lifted them. He cursed long and loud, convinced at first that it was Dean's work. But then he found a business card tucked in next to his notebook, bearing a name and number.

 

Roman Reigns.

 

*

 

Jimmy already knew, he'd been stuck to the security cameras sprinkled throughout that area of the city. He sent Seth a text message:

 

_So you couldn't avoid the Samoans._

 

Fuck. Roman, the mysterious stranger, was a member of the Samoans. Seth started researching, zipping through the internet on his phone – there he was, Roman Reigns, expensively dressed, son of one of the stronghold members of the family, already rising through the ranks. He'd been picked up a couple of times but no criminal charges had actually been made because nothing could be substantially linked to him. He was considered powerful and very charismatic. Yeah. Seth got that.

 

His phone beeped, Jimmy had sent him Dean's number.

 

_For your pleasure._

 

Ha. So Dean and Roman...affected Seth. That was unexpected and unusual – he was used to drawing stares or certain kinds of brief interest but he was tired of that. It was nothing like the chemistry he'd felt with both Dean and Roman...

 

And he still hadn't gotten those fucking stars back.

 

Seth pulled off his shirt so that he could get a bra on before redressing. His shoulders dropped a little.

 

He called Jimmy, “This is fucking insane.”

 

Jimmy made a noise in his throat. It wasn't a laugh for once, more like an interested thoughtful sound. Seth's brow pinched.

 

“Jimmy.”

 

“Seth,” There was only a hint of teasing in Jimmy's voice, which said a lot. “When was the last time you looked at anyone like that and meant it?”

 

More than a few years but Seth didn't answer because Jimmy already knew that. And that really wasn't the point, it couldn't be.

 

“Roman lifted the blueprints, Dean has the stars. This is completely fucked.”

 

Jimmy made a noise again, this time a little bit more amused. “Seth. They looked back. You've got a lot of ammo.”

 

He sounded reassuring and pointed and Seth's phone beeped mid-call to alert him to a message. “I don't even know Roman.”

 

Jimmy snorted, “You seriously think he hasn't been checking you out? I'm not the only one who piggybacks security feeds.”

 

Seth's heart jumped, “He's been _stalking_ me?”

 

Jimmy was definitely rolling his eyes, “He's been checking out the competition, like I do for you. And clearly he likes what he sees. You're a lucky bastard, Seth.”

 

Seth let out a breath, heat stirring through him. He still didn't have the stars that he'd told Gabe he could definitely get. Fuck.

 

After wrapping up his conversation with Jimmy, he checked his messages. Someone had sent him a link to a newsite detailing the rarity of a set of baseball cards, owned by someone currently living in San Francisco. The sender's number matched the one on Roman Reigns' business card.

 

A lick of something hot and exciting tore through Seth. This was a language he spoke very well. He got another message, this time from Dean,

 

_It's on._

 

It was.

 

*

 

Seth traveled fairly quickly to San Francisco. He'd deliberately worn a top that looked amazing with the bra he was wearing. His jeans were dark and fitted and thanks to his beard, he got more than a few looks. But he was used to that. It was all him.

 

He really wasn't surprised to find Dean falling into step beside him outside of his motel. Dean was wearing what was apparently his uniform – jeans, vest and leather jacket. He always made it look good. Now he nudged an arm against Seth and smirked looking Seth up and down in a way that made Seth's jaw tense and made his insides flame up.

 

“I want those fucking stars.”

 

Dean laughed, his arm still pressed against Seth's, “And I want-.”

 

“And this isn't just about that.”

 

They were on a quiet street now and Dean stopped abruptly. Seth held his gaze because this was what they hadn't talked about. Seth didn't shit where he ate – that'd only make life incredibly complicated and crappy. The job was hard enough as it was. But Dean was a fucking liar if he started claiming that he didn't feel what had been buzzing between them since they'd first met and how it'd notched up when Roman had appeared.

 

Dean's eyebrows shot up and his eyes got very heated, scrutinizing Seth. Then he deliberately stepped close and ran a hand down Seth's arm. Seth's skin felt heated and prickly, in a way that made him want a little more. He shifted under Dean's touch, Dean smirked.

 

“Like I said, it's on.”

 

He didn't push closer but his meaning was clear and Seth relaxed a little. They ate a long lunch together which they spent arguing and swapping (probably half-true) stories. And later Dean waited while Seth changed out of his bra and donned his glasses and a sports shirt for work purposes. Dean glanced him up and down, something twisting around his brow. He didn't say anything though until Seth shot him a look.

 

“What?”

 

“I can see it.”

 

And Dean's hand skimmed Seth's, squeezing a little, before letting go. Seth was left lost in thought as they headed towards the address Roman had given them. It was a very expensive-looking house, belonging to successful real estate manager Karl Maxim. According to Jimmy's extensive research, Maxim and his wife were currently away on vacation.

 

Dean leaned close, “You impressed yet?”

 

Seth snorted but took his phone out and began making notes. Dean loitered near the front gate, unashamedly looking more at Seth. It was weirdly comfortable. Seth always felt comfortable scouting, he had it down now, but this was a different kind of comfort, like something he'd been missing out on before.

 

He looked pointedly at Dean though, “That's your tactic?”

 

“Want to see some more?”

 

Seth arched an eyebrow, not shifting at all to adjust his hardening cock. He texted Jimmy, _Really?_

 

He didn't need to add any context. He kept taking notes. Eventually the sun dipped down and it was time to get ready all over again. Dean grinned, “Race you to the top?”

 

Seth was already beginning to walk back to the motel. The challenge of Dean was still hot under Seth's skin and fuck, they were definitely going to face each other again in future but for now, “What's the point if we're both going to end up talking to him anyway?”

 

Dean caught up with him, his breath smelled like grape jelly, “Oh, so this isn't a choice for you.”

 

Seth slanted a glance his way, the heat inside of him punching up again. He could see the same happening in Dean's expression. “Like it ever was for you.”

 

Dean's laugh was dirty as fuck.

 

*

 

Seth wore tight leather that emphasized his bra-induced curves. Dean's eyes got very dark when they locked onto Seth. They stared at each other then Dean stalked close, right into Seth's personal space, making Seth's throat dry.

 

“Like a fucking _dream_ ,” Dean huffed out, his tongue darting.

 

He sounded completely delighted. Seth couldn't help laughing. He touched a leather-gloved hand to Dean's arm, Dean let out a growl of appreciation and nosed across Seth's cheek, his lips trailing close, tasting Seth's skin. There was something tender under his constant movement. Dean Ambrose was surprising and Seth was very surreptitiously okay with that.

 

Dean smirked, “Been dreaming about me too?”

 

Seth dropped his hand. Sometimes it was like Dean could see his thoughts. Dean laughed and nudged Seth. “Our other dream's awaiting.”

 

Right. Roman Reigns, who was still completely unbelievable. Seth shook his head, Dean laughed again, “I know, right?”

 

Seth sighs, “Did he have to be so-?”

 

“It's in the blood, man. That family is stacked.”

 

They reached the house. No lights were on. Seth led the way around the back; according to the information Jimmy had sent him an hour ago the alarm system would be easier to work around from there. He tapped a command into his phone – Jimmy would go to work now. They weren't connected by earbuds for this job. Jimmy had offered to listen in, he hadn't promised to bow out if things got interesting though. He messaged Seth.

 

_Solomon and I are having fun._

 

“Get it, Jimmy,” commented Dean, reading over Seth's shoulder.

 

Seth shoved him away and waited for the signal from Jimmy, yep, the alarm system had been closed down. Once they got inside it'd get turned on again so that the secondary wasn't triggered by the first alarm's disappearance. Dean strode forward, pulling a set of lockpicks out of his back pocket. He bent down to work on the door lock, apparently not needing any extra light to work by. Seth admired the view. It was a good one.

 

“Aren't you going to just smash the glass?” he asked, gesturing to a window tucked close to the door.

 

Dean laughed as the door lock clicked, “You're an encore man, that's good to know.”

 

He straightened up with a leer and swung the door open for Seth. Inside the house was dark and beautifully-furnished. There was a lot worth stealing. Seth made sure the alarm reset and made for the second floor. From his research, it was where Maxim's collection was probably kept. Dean shadowed Seth closely. Seth didn't smile, at all. The heat inside of him simmered.

 

Roman was waiting for them on the second floor in a gorgeous office, he was holding a set of baseball cards. He placed them down on a table. He was wearing a slate-gray button-down and jeans, everything fitting him well. His black work-boots should have looked out of place but they didn't. His hair was long and loose and he was as lavishly good-looking as Seth remembered. Seth wasn't the only one to breathe in sharply.

 

Oddly, Dean stood like he was ready to jump in front of Seth.

 

Roman smiled, looking at them like he was getting the best possible view.

 

“Excellent teamwork.”

 

“Have you got the blueprints?” Seth asked, his voice flat and business-like, because there were actual work-related reasons he was there too.

 

Roman smiled ever so slightly and then nodded towards Dean, “Has he got the stars?”

 

Dean snorted and smirked, looking Roman blatantly up and down, “None of us have got what we want tonight. Oh except for how we're all here, just like you wanted. So what do you want _now_?”

 

Roman looked Dean up and down just as blatantly. The air seemed to sizzle and Seth felt like he should hold his breath. Instead, he watched as Roman strode forward, deliberate and completely used to holding the attention of a room.

 

“A business arrangement.”

 

Dean barked out a laugh, “Your family has the whole coast dancing. And you want to do business, with us.”

 

“New business, not family business.”

 

That got Seth's attention, he could see it'd got Dean's as well. Was Roman proposing working with Dean and Seth, by breaking away from his hugely-successful family? That was...not at all what Seth had expected. Dean nudged Seth sharply, like he was encouraging Seth to join in on the joke.

 

“You want to create a new crew. You've got your hands in every single flavor of pie right now and you want to break that and start baking all over again?”

 

Roman gave them both another heated look, apparently not put off by Dean's expansive metaphor, which mellowed into a simply expectant demeanor. “Yes.”

 

It was Seth's turn to look amused, “You're going to have to give us more than that.”

 

Apparently he and Dean were an 'us' now. Dean sort of listed closer though, which was appreciated.

 

Roman smirked, just a little. Seth felt extremely warm.

 

“I want to make my own mark, prove I can do it without the name and everything that comes with it.” Roman stepped closer again. “Seth plans meticulously, Dean's got guts, you've both got talent and back-up.”

 

“And you've got what? Without your name?” Dean wanted to know.

 

Roman's smirk increased a little, “Strength, knowledge, ambition. And you can't feel what's between us?”

 

He gestured between the group. The three of them stared at each other for a little while longer. Seth felt something twist hard inside of him. He could see it – his planning, Dean's fearlessness and unconventional thinking, Roman's stillness and strength. And the chemistry that hummed so obviously between them, Seth had never felt anything like it. His bond with Jimmy was totally different.

 

A crew, a name that could do something bigger than Seth or any of them could do alone. All those museums and bunkers and clever hiding places, all picked clean, there'd be a lot of bewildered headlines. Seth thought about it, dreamed. It was like nothing he'd even considered before, it was heady. His pocket buzzed, Jimmy was going to be unbearable.

 

“A trial run,” Seth said firmly. “I like my situation right now and I don't want to screw it up.”

 

“A couple of jobs,” suggested Roman, seeming at ease though his eyes lit up. “Testing the waters.”

 

“On and off the job.”

 

That was Dean's suggestion, as he slunk right into Roman's personal space and slid an arm around Roman's waist. Maybe it was another challenge or Dean just going for what he wanted, either way Roman wrapped a strong arm around Dean and kissed him. It was a kiss full of intent, both of them giving as good as they got. It was incredibly hot. Seth's cock twitched hard, he pressed a hand to the front of his leather pants.

 

“Mmmm,” hummed Roman glancing over, his gaze on fire. “You like to watch.”

 

Seth bit his lip, that was an idea.

 

Dean, his forehead pressed against Roman's temple, choked out a wicked-sounding laugh, “ _Fuck_ yes.”

 

*

 

Jimmy and Solomon worked together to thoroughly research everything Roman had told them. They discovered that he hadn't been thrown out of his family organization so Seth and Dean weren't going up against the Samoans. Thank fuck for that.

 

Seth spent a couple of days arguing furiously with a very relaxed Jimmy via Skype. Maybe Seth was still a little unnerved by how attracted he felt to both Dean and Roman, how little he knew them, how much he _wanted_ to know them, how much he wanted.

 

“It's working, Seth,” Jimmy reminded him, eyes unblinking, his mouth soft with affection. “It feels good, doesn't it?”

 

Yeah, it did.

 

Of course there were bumps. Dean was twitchy and sharp by nature but there was something else, something inside of him that Seth could sense was like a weight that Dean was constantly dragging around with malicious self-loathing glee. Seth wished he had the words to cut through it, to draw it out of Dean. But Dean never wanted to talk about it and fine, there was stuff Seth never wanted to uncover either and Roman for all his oceans of centered tranquility probably had some uglies hidden away somewhere too. Still, it bothered Seth that he couldn't help Dean unruffle, he couldn't slice through the rotting strain. It didn't feel right, at all.

 

Roman picked up on those moods too, wrapping his arms around Dean and mouthing his ear, drawing Dean's attention away until usually Roman was spread out across the nearest flat surface or braced against something stable so that Dean could fuck him. Seth always made sure he got a good view.

 

He and Roman talked a lot. They went for walks or out for dinner. Roman was interesting company. He had stories about his family, about how they lived, all that money funneled into businesses and giving their children an excellent quality of life. It sounded like a dream to Seth. But Roman wanted to carve out his own place in the world. Seth could respect that. Roman wasn't the only one with that kind of ambition, Seth had read what Jimmy had been able to dig up about Dean, about the rough-house childhood that he'd exploded out of, snarling and bullet-hard. Seth could still see things behind his own eyes that he wished didn't actually exist.

 

Roman and Dean both liked how Seth dressed. But it wasn't just that, they liked _him_. If he didn't know better, Seth would have guessed that Jimmy had set him up perfectly but Jimmy claimed actual ignorance for once and kept saying he wished he'd thought of it himself. Seth had always figured that finding someone who got him and accepted every facet; his past, his clothes, his fluid gender, his work, was going to be impossible, at least until he decided to stop thieving. It turned out he could maybe have everything, if he was willing to keep working hard. Of course he was fucking willing, so were Dean and Roman.

 

Slowly, Seth was showing them more parts of himself that only Jimmy had known about before. Sometimes Seth wore a soft gauzy nightdress in bed. He liked how it felt against his skin, against his cock. He liked how it made him feel and how Dean and Roman's eyes on him felt too. Sometimes Dean lapped at the v of the nightdress' neckline, his tongue catching at the lace and at Seth's hair and skin beneath it. Seth's whole body felt properly fevered and there were Roman's hands mapping out fabric and flesh.

 

Seth was making new plans, as delicate and breakable as the nightdress' lace, for work and play and everything tangled up in between. He was more than testing the waters here, he was wading in. He was too smart to just jump in though and fuck the consequences. His whole life was a fucking consequence.

 

He could act like everyone else, he could wear a wholly masculine skin, but it was only ever a disguise, a means to an end. It wasn't ever him. Jimmy knew that better than anybody. Now Dean and Roman were learning and listening. Seth was learning them too.

 

They were heisting together. It was rough around the edges but Seth could see what Roman could – that together the three of them were one hell of a fucking impactful team. It was really there, just there, their three individual strengths fusing together. Maybe that was what Seth had felt when he'd met Dean and had then clapped eyes on Roman.

 

“No, you felt something else,” Jimmy told him with a filthy smirk and genuinely pleased eyes. “It's making you very sparkly.”

 

That night, Dean gazed at the blueprints that he'd finally gotten off of Roman. Apparently he had an interest in architecture – “It doesn't make sense to you? Like the palace you broke into last month, that fucking balcony suite, man...” That was Dean, revealing pieces of himself that had probably been hoarded away from practically everyone else. Seth dug a foot into Dean's lap, Dean gripped his ankle in just the right kind of way.

 

Roman kissed Seth's cheek and looked at him warmly, like he was a real work of art. There was a diamond star in Seth's hair, it matched the glittering quality of his top. He got a smiley-filled text message from Jimmy – between them he and Solomon still knew everything. His ankle remained gripped firmly by Dean as Seth leaned into Roman and kissed his beautiful mouth.

 

_-the end_


End file.
